Mobile branch exchange

Abstract

A mobile branch exchange (MBX) allows a user of a mobile telephone to exploit the functionality of a private branch exchange (PBX) as if the user were using a PBX-connected wire line telephone in an office setting. A server is placed on corporate premises and the server is configured to communicate with corresponding client software programmed into a programmable mobile telephone. The server directly interfaces with the PBX to control call placement and connectivity and operates as an intermediary proxy for the mobile telephone. In a preferred embodiment, the server establishes a data pathway to the mobile telephone that is, from a network point of view, independent of a parallel voice pathway established between the PBX and mobile telephone.

1 . A system for providing private branch exchange (PBX) functionality to a mobile communications device, comprising: 
 a mobile communications device operable to communicate via a voice pathway and a data pathway;    a private branch exchange (PBX) operable to be in communication with the mobile communications device via the voice pathway; and    a mobile branch exchange (MBX) in communication with the PBX and in communication with the mobile communications device via the data pathway, the MBX being operable to (i) monitor the PBX for activity related to a user of the mobile communications device, and (ii) control the PBX in accordance with commands received via the data pathway from the mobile communications device.    
   
   
       2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the MBX is a server.  
   
   
       3 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the mobile communications device comprises client-side software that is operable with the MBX.  
   
   
       4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the MBX and the mobile communications device communicate with each other using a voice data synchronization protocol.  
   
   
       5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the MBX monitors the PBX for a call to a callee made by the mobile communications device and wherein the MBX causes the call made by the communications device to pass through the PBX such that the call made by the communications device appears to the callee as being placed from a PBX-connected telephone.  
   
   
       6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the mobile communications device is at least one of a personal digital assistant, a mobile telephone and a mobile computer.  
   
   
       7 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the voice pathway and data pathway a common communications network.  
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the voice pathway comprises at least one of a packet switched network and a circuit switched network.  
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the data pathway comprises at least one of a packet switched network and a circuit switched network.  
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the data pathway comprises at least one of a short messaging service (SMS) device, an Unstructured Supplementary Services Data (USSD) device, a General Packet Radio System (GPRS) device, and a Unified Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) device.  
   
   
       11 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the PBX is monitorable and controllable by the MBX via an application programming interface (API).  
   
   
       12 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the API comprises at least one of CSTA, TAPI and JTAPI, and TSAPI.  
   
   
       13 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the MBX is electronically connected to the PBX.  
   
   
       14 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the MBX and PBX comprise an integral device.  
   
   
       15 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the mobile communications device comprises a graphical user interface for controlling at least one of incoming and outgoing calls.  
   
   
       16 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the mobile communications device provides conference call functionality.  
   
   
       17 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the conference call functionality comprises a graphical user interface that indicates the participants in a conference call.  
   
   
       18 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the conference call functionality comprises adding a new conference call participant by placing a call to the new conference call participant from the mobile communications device.  
   
   
       19 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the conference call functionality comprises adding a new conference call participant by accepting an incoming call from the new conference call participant at the mobile communications device.  
   
   
       20 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the conference call functionality comprises causing, from the mobile communications device, a conference call participant to be dropped from an ongoing conference call.  
   
   
       21 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the conference call functionality comprises indicating to a user of the mobile communications device (i) how long each participant has been participating in a conference call and (ii) whether a participant has been dropped.  
   
   
       22 . A system for extending telephone calls to and from a mobile communications device, comprising: 
 a server in communication with (i) a PBX and (ii) a data pathway; and    a wireless communications device programmed with client-side software that operates together with the server via the data pathway,    wherein the server notifies the wireless communications device of an incoming call received at the PBX for the user of the wireless communications device, wherein the server causes the PBX to place an outgoing call from the PBX to the wireless communications device, and wherein the server causes said incoming call and said outgoing call to be switched into a common circuit.    
   
   
       23 . The system of  claim 22 , wherein the incoming call is destined for a PBX-connected telephone that is assigned for use by a person using the wireless communications device.  
   
   
       24 . The system of  claim 22 , wherein a call initiated at the wireless communications device to a callee, is routed through the PBX in accordance with information received from the server.  
   
   
       25 . The system of  claim 24 , wherein the callee is given the impression that the call initiated at the wireless communications device is being placed from a PBX-connected telephone.  
   
   
       26 . The system of  claim 24 , wherein at least a portion of the information received from the server is provided by the wireless communication device.  
   
   
       27 . The system of  claim 22 , wherein the wireless communications device is at least one of a personal digital assistant, a mobile telephone and a computer.  
   
   
       28 . The system of  claim 22 , wherein the server and wireless communications device communicate with one another using the data pathway.  
   
   
       29 . A method of extending a telephone call, received at a private branch exchange, to a mobile communications device, comprising the steps of: 
 monitoring the private branch exchange (PBX) for an incoming first call for a selected telephone number;    sending to the mobile communications device via a data connection an indication of the existence of the incoming first call;    receiving at the computer server a request to answer the incoming first call;    causing the PBX to establish a new second connection between the PBX and the mobile communications device; and    connecting the incoming first call with the new connection, thereby connecting the incoming first call to the mobile communications device.    
   
   
       30 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein each of the recited steps occurs automatically.  
   
   
       31 . The method of  claim 29 , further comprising sending calling line identity information to the mobile communications device via the data connection.  
   
   
       32 . The method of  claim 29 , further comprising simultaneously ringing a PBX-connected telephone associated with the selected telephone number and the mobile communications device.  
   
   
       33 . The method of  claim 29 , further comprising storing calling data with respect to the incoinng first call on the mobile communications device.  
   
   
       34 . The method of  claim 29 , further comprising causing the PBX to conference in a third call.  
   
   
       35 . The method of  claim 34 , further comprising displaying participants in a conference call.  
   
   
       36 . The method of  claim 34 , further comprising adding the third call at by placing the third call from the mobile communications device.  
   
   
       37 . The method of  claim 34 , further comprising adding the third call by accepting the third call at the mobile communications device.  
   
   
       38 . The method of  claim 34 , further comprising causing, from the mobile communications device, the third call to be dropped.  
   
   
       39 . The method of  claim 34 , further comprising indicating on the mobile communications device at least one of (i) how long each participant in a conference call has been participating and (ii) whether a participant has been dropped.  
   
   
       40 . The method of  claim 29 , further comprising transferring the incoming first call to a third party by controlling the PBX.  
   
   
       41 . The method of  claim 29 , further comprising determining the origin of the incoming first call and filtering the same based on predetermined criteria.  
   
   
       42 . The method of  claim 29 , further comprising accumulating and aggregating call data records.  
   
   
       43 . The method of  claim 29 , further comprising automatically reconnecting the incoming first call with the mobile communications device in the event a connection therebetween is lost.  
   
   
       44 . The method of  claim 29 , further providing lost call indications in the event that the mobile communications device was powered off when the call occurred.  
   
   
       45 . The method of  claim 29 , further providing a PBX voice message indication in the event that a voice message has been left on or removed from the PBX voice messaging system.  
   
   
       46 . A method of employing a private branch exchange (PBX) to route calls from a mobile communications device to a callee, comprising the steps of: 
 establishing a data connection between the mobile communications device and a server;    sending to the server from the mobile communications device via the data connection calling information for contacting the callee;    establishing a.first call between the mobile communications device and the PBX;    causing the PBX to establish a second connection between the PBX and the callee based on the calling information; and    connecting the first call with the second connection within the PBX, thereby connecting the callee to the mobile communications device.    
   
   
       47 . The method of  claim 46 , wherein each of the recited steps occurs automatically.  
   
   
       48 . The method of  claim 46 , further comprising storing calling data with respect to the first call and the second connection.  
   
   
       49 . The method of  claim 46 , further comprising causing the PBX to conference in a third call.  
   
   
       50 . The method of  claim 46 , further comprising transferring the connected first call and second connection.  
   
   
       51 . The method of  claim 46 , further comprising accumulating and aggregating call data records.  
   
   
       52 . The method of  claim 46 , further comprising automatically reestablishing the first call in the event a connection is lost.